


Nagisa's Aquarium (or, Eight Legged George's)

by cuddlebros



Category: Free!
Genre: Children's TV Presenter!Makoto, M/M, Other, Younger!Kou, sibling relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 09:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3244424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuddlebros/pseuds/cuddlebros
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin is a single father – <i>kind of</i> - whose little sister absolutely worships the ground that charming presenter Makoto walks on. After a chance meeting at a supermarket one day, Kou is obsessed with meeting him again. It’s hard to turn her down, even though bumping into him sounds nigh on impossible, but Rin will be big brother of the year if it kills him.<br/>It’s no grand gesture that brings them together, but Rin is sure that Kou would be glad to have another orca-loving guardian.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nagisa's Aquarium (or, Eight Legged George's)

Necessity drives Makoto to the grocery store in the middle of the day.

Generally, he uses days off for a mix of rest, research and relaxation – things which leave him little time to attempt to cook anything other than instant noodles. Which – combined with the fact that everything he touches turns to a burnt mess – explains the lack of  _anything_  in his cupboards. Seeing as he’d rather not starve, it might also be considered that survival instincts are what drive him to the grocery store at 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon in a ratty old orca t-shirt (free, courtesy of the show runners) and jogging bottoms (that had seen much, much better days).

Just as he’s crouching down to get a look at the flavours on the bottom shelf – why were they hiding the beef flavour there? It was the  _best_  one! – he’s nearly knocked over by the force of something running into him. Soft ‘ _oof_ ’ noises come from the pair of them.

From a few aisles away, a voice shouts “Kou?”, and the guilty look on the face of the child that had apparently come barrelling into him suggests that  _she_  is the one being searched for. She only looks to be around 6, someone’s probably worried for her.

“Sorry mister,” she mumbles, “wasn’t looking where I was going.” She looks up at him with wide, glossy eyes, and Makoto has to hold back an ‘aw’.

“It’s fine, no worries,” he responds with a smile, “but you’re not hurt, are you?”

“Uh-uh,” she beams at him, shaking her head.

Behind her, a young man who shares the same eye-catching hair colour and expressive face rounds into the aisle, shouting, “Kou! Where did you – oh,” when he finds the girl chatting to the crouching Makoto. “Sorry if she’s been bothering you…”

“No, no, she hasn’t been a bother at all!” Makoto says quickly, before giggling a little at the way the now slightly put out little girl pouts, crosses her arms and stomps in defiance at the insinuation that she’s a bother.

“You’re so rude, big brother! At least  _I’m_  polite – wait,” she turns around and squints at Makoto. “You’re Mako! You’re Mako the orca guy! From  _Nagisa’s Aquarium_! Big brother, look,  _look_ , it’s Mako!” she squeals at him.

“What happened to polite, eh?” he grumbles, but he smirks down at her as he does, so Makoto can’t imagine that he's  _too_  annoyed.

“You were a bad influence,” she deadpans.

“Wh-  _hey_!”

Makoto sees his chance to intercept, and takes it. “Yeah, I am! I’m Makoto, it’s nice to meet you…?”

“I’m Kou! This is my big brother Rin, he’s awful, but he likes your part too! But he likes sharks a lot more than orcas,” she pouts, “which means he sucks.”

“ _Kou_!” the older brother – Rin – says, scandalized.

“I don’t make the rules!” she insists.

Makoto giggles a little, and doesn’t miss the look that Rin sends him that reeks of surprise.

“Sharks can be fun too! Maybe we should start a shark segment,” he jokes.

“Big brother would only watch it if you presented it.”

“ _Kou_! I’m so sorry, sir, we’ll get going and stop bothering you now, okay? C’mon, Kou, your swimming lesson starts really soon, let’s leave Makoto alone.”

“No fun! No fun! Big brother’s no fun,” she chants, until the stern look in her brother’s eyes makes her pipe down. “Fine, fine. Bye Makoto!” she waves at him sweetly as her brother shuffles her out of the way, shooting Makoto an apologetic smile and a mouthed sorry as they pass him.

“Bye Kou, bye Rin,” he waves at them, “see you around!”

It’s only once they leave the aisle that Makoto feels the cramps starting in his calves – maybe he should stand up. Maybe he should also grab the noodles that he came for.

He floats back to his apartment thinking half-thoughts about siblings with hair like fire and temperaments like flames, and somehow manages to be disappointed when he opens the door and the place doesn’t smell of smoke.

* * *

 

Makoto has little choice over his appearance at the gym.

Even if its children’s television, he’s still a television presenter, and his diet of instant noodles and whichever fruit is in season isn’t going to keep him in good enough shape for long.

But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s somewhere Makoto is loath to be. He enjoys working out – he’s always enjoyed the pleasant stretch and burn that lets him know his muscles are working, and the worn out feeling that accompanies good exercise – but there are always so many  _other people_  there, and a small part of him is clinging to the insecurities he held growing up.

Leaving after a hot shower and a blissful change of clothes, he’s resolving to buy some new swimming trunks soon so he doesn’t have to relive the feel of watchful eyes in that gym again, when he spots a familiar shade of red. His neck hurts from the violent double take he does, but he doesn’t feel short changed when he gets a proper look at the siblings he only  _just about_  knows the name of.

Kou is bouncing up and down excitedly, hair damp and pulled back as she tugs on her brother’s hand. Rin, for his part, is managing to smile at her as if she’s the centre of his universe while also looking as if what she’s saying is the most important thing he’s ever heard – and it’s so,  _so_  precious.

Did he ever look at Ren or Ran like that? Is this why he got so many warm smiles when he was out with them? The warmth leftover from his shower cools a little at that. How long has it been since he’s even spoken to the twins? How long has it been since he’s been able to look at them as they are (as they have been for a long time) – as the centre of  _his_  universe?

Sent into a heady mess of siblings, memories, and guilt, there’s a good reason Makoto doesn’t catch when Kou glimpses him, or starts shouting his name, or starts physically dragging her brother towards him, until the two of them are in front of him.

“Makoto?” Rin asks, the same time as Kou makes a rather loud declaration of “Mako!”

He flinches back into reality, a homely smile making it’s way onto his face in a remarkably natural way.

“Kou! Rin! What a pleasant surprise!”

“It  _is_  Mako! Again! See, I  _told_  big brother that we would see you again, and he was all, ‘ _we probably won’t see him ever again, don’t be silly,_ ’ but I was right, so  _he’s_  the silly one,” she says, the energy from her bouncing evident in her voice as well.

“Well, grown-ups do have a habit of being quite silly sometimes,” he admits, shooting Rin an apologetic smile when he appears visibly disgruntled at it. “But, it’s a happy coincidence that I get to see you again!”

“Mm!” Kou agrees, nodding her head, “because both me and big brother have stuff we want to say to you!”

Makoto doesn’t miss the rise of a blush on Rin’s cheeks at that, and wonders what he could possibly be flustered about. “Kou, we really can’t bother him right now. I’m sure he’s tired and has somewhere to be, and I  _know_  you’re going to fall asleep on the way home, so please just say your goodbyes.”

“Oh no, no, it’s fine, really! I still have a lot of energy, and nowhere to be! And I’m always willing to listen to the exciting things a fellow orca fan has to tell me.”

“You don’t have to- I mean, we’d understand if you had places to be,” Rin says, low. But Makoto can’t help but hear an undertone of hope that maybe he  _didn’t_  have places to be.

“Nope, I’m absolutely free! But, I’m sure you’re both quite tired, and probably hungry – were you just swimming, Kou?” She nods. “Swimming makes you pretty hungry, right?”

“Super  _duper_  hungry.”

He looks to Rin as he asks, “would it be alright if we were all to go get some dinner, then? Not that you have to, or anything, but I’d really love to sit down and eat, and chat with you two, if that’s alright?”

“Dinner! Dinner! Big brother, I’m hungry, let’s eat with Mako,  _please_?” she begs, taking her brothers hand in both of her smaller ones. When he still seems unconvinced, she turns deathly serious and tells him that they “have a lot to talk about.”

It’s hard to tell if it’s the completely uncompromising manner that Kou uses in regards getting what she wants in that childish fashion which is both a little unnerving and unbearably sweet (and reminds him of home, and his family, endearing him incredibly quickly towards her), or the way that Rin takes everything she says seriously, and seems to care about her so much (that reflects a lot of Makoto, and draws him to Rin damn near magnetically). Whatever the cause is, it’s at that point Makoto admits he’s really, totally besotted by the two of them.

“Fine, fine, I’m sure that we can find somewhere close to eat. Yo, Makoto, where were you thinking of eating?”

“Uh, I hadn’t thought that far, honestly…”

“Ooh, ooh, if you don’t know then can we go to the octopus place?  _Please, please, please_?” she turns from pleading with her brother to start animatedly describing the restaurant to Makoto. “They have little tiny fishies in tanks all around where you eat, and the tanks are really, really huge! And the fish are all different colours and super cute and –“

“How about we show him instead, eh? C’mon, princess, I know you want a lift.”

Kou giggles as she’s lifted to sit on Rin’s shoulders, and Makoto feels grateful for the tension bleeding from Rin every second he interacts with his little sister. He’s been understandably tense both times they’ve met, but on their way to the restaurant – the not-so-enigmatically named  _Eight Leg George’s_  – Makoto even manages to make Rin laugh a couple of times with his flustered mannerisms and awkward joking. He’s so relaxed, that he cracks a couple of jokes himself, and even manages to confess something during the 15 minute long walk.

“I was actually really hoping we would run into you again, if I’m being honest. As soon as we left that store, Kou was talking my ear off about all these things she wanted to tell you, and for the rest of the week she kept coming up with more until I was just about ready to track you down just so she could talk to you.”

Imagining a fed up Rin, hunting high and low for him just so that he could chat to his little sister makes Makoto chuckle heartily, and really, he can’t feel the ache in his limbs over the distraction that Rin presents. Little Kou seems to be taking a nap, her head resting atop her brothers nest of hair. Which becomes a problem when they reach the colourful establishment that apparently is  _Eight Legged George’s._

“Hey, squirt, we’re here,” Rin says, softly shaking Kou awake. She rubs her eyes drowsily, and it’s like instinct for Makoto to reach up and help her down.

“Thanks Mako,” she mumbles. Makoto keeps light hold of her arms until she’s steady on her feet, while Rin goes to check through the window for free seats.

“C’mon, it’s still pretty empty in there, so we should be able to snatch a good table.”

Children never fail to surprise Makoto. Kou, for example, was out stone cold asleep not 20 minutes ago, but now has more energy than ever, and is enthusiastically, systematically questioning and quizzing Makoto on a lot of things both covered and uncovered in Makoto’s segment of the show. It’s a relief that the tablecloth is still on the table, with the way she keeps grabbing onto it in excitement, but both Rin and Makoto keep subtly tugging on it so that nothing falls off the table.

She’s deadly serious as she questions him on orca families, where they live,  _how_  they live – Makoto’s just glad that he makes sure to thoroughly research and understand everything they put into the script.

“Kou, you can’t question poor Makoto the entire way through dinner – look, you’ve barely touched your food!”

“But there’s so much more I need to know!”

“Well, the joy of knowledge is that it’s a journey, and you can’t really take that journey all at once. It’s a lot more fun to spread out learning, so how about we save some learning for the next time, okay?” (Rin carefully notes the insinuation that there will be a next time.) “Also, your food looks  _really_  good, and if you’re not going to eat it…” he brings his fork to loom over her plate, pretending to go for her food.

“No! Mine!” Kou exclaims, shovelling pasta into her mouth.

“You’re good at that,” Rin notes.

“Huh?”

“Kids. You’re good with kids.”

“Oh! Well I have two little siblings, so I have a lot of practice.”

"You're gonna have to teach me, sometime."

"Of course!"

* * *

 

Somehow, they both miss the fact that the other is making their way to the front desk with a wallet in their hand. “Hey man, thanks for sticking with us for dinner,” Rin says, while they’re both leaning against the bar waiting for a waitress to appear. “It was really good of you, and I’m sure Kou’s gonna be smiling for days about it.”

“No, no, it was my pleasure! Your little sister is really passionate, and it’s quite flattering to know I had any part in that. Oh, and you’re very nice too! It’s been a really nice evening. Thank you.”

“Ah well, natural charm runs in the family,” Rin grins at him. “But anyway, you’ve made my next week a whole lot better, so dinner’s on me.”

“No, no, I couldn’t make you do that, please let me pay!”

“Nah, dude, I’m paying.”

“But –“

“It’s fine. You can go sit down, dinner’s on me.” It’s hard for Rin to stick to that when Makoto takes off with an expression not dissimilar to that of a wounded puppy. When the waitress who eventually comes to serve him mentions that she thought it was “a really cute little lovers squabble,” he’s thankful that Makoto isn’t around – puppy or not – because his face blooms into redness at the comment like never before. He swiftly pays, and doesn’t even worry about how much of a tip he leaves, too flustered and just wanting to leave. He scuttles back to the table – Rin has never scuttled  _anywhere_ , Rin has always been straight back and confident steps, he’s never been  _scuttling_  – to find Makoto coaxing a sleeping Kou off of his lap and onto his hip.

“She fell asleep on you? Sorry about that -”

“It’s more than fine!”

“Well, it’s just that she’s kind of – ah you know what? You’ll figure it out. I guess you’re walking home with us then?”

“I suppose so! If that’s okay with you?”

“You’ll find out pretty soon that you don’t have much choice.”

Makoto only discovers just what Rin was referring to after much idle talk towards an apartment complex not far from his. Kou is a clingy soul, and it takes much careful manoeuvring on both of their parts to get her into Rin’s arms instead.

After their goodbyes, after Kou is tucked into bed and he’s halfway into his own, Rin realises his mistake.

He didn’t get Makoto’s number.

* * *

 

Makoto never really understood how he ended up working for Nagisa. They had been friends through life, sure – their group was practically joined at the hip from nursery to graduation – but Nagisa isn’t the sort of person that you ever really envision working for. Nevertheless, he’s a good boss, radiating positive energy and being authoritative when push comes to shove, but it’s always strange when  _Nagisa_  is the one handing him a paycheck at the end of the month.

He also doesn’t really understand how he ended up in television. Media wasn’t really his thing, at all. His major was completely unrelated, honestly, but somehow having younger siblings counted enough towards his character that it wasn’t really seen as a problem by any of the channel executives.

Either that, or Nagisa had used some kind of bribe. Makoto wasn’t about to question it.

But it was easy for him to find enjoyment and fulfilment in his job. He loved working with the sea life, and he loved working with the kids. Nagisa had always been crazy about marine life, and it was obvious that kids loved the mix of fun and education that they brought into their 15 minute sea life show every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Nagisa injected pure passion and fun into his delivery of facts and fun involving his favourite animal – the penguin. How he managed to continue to bring new content to a show that aired week after week is something that most of the team really can’t fathom. Makoto is only on one show a week, and even he occasionally finds it difficult to come up with new, creative, engaging dialogue about his featured animal – the orca.

So even if Makoto is unsure, he’s settled. He knows he belongs here, with his friends, doing something that he loves (even if he had never planned on falling into the job). He knows he thrives in the fact that he’s educating kids he doesn’t even know, in the research and the nerves he gets before he appears on set.

But he’s still the shy Makoto of years past, and he also thrives on the time he can spend alone in his apartment, with a cup of instant noodles and a coffee, with time to think, and read, and breathe. No matter how much he enjoys his work, he enjoys relaxing after knowing he’s done his job well even more.

He thinks it’s a sign of how good for him the job is that he’s almost comfortable with his habit of falling into things – his job, himself, his crush on the almost-stranger he’s only met twice.

* * *

 

“Mako is a genius! We already have so many kids applying to be in the shark segment, it’s awesome! And the executives think that it’s gonna up the viewership by like 2%! This is call for celebration!”

“That’s great, Nagisa, but like I keep telling you, it wasn’t my idea! I met –“

“You met this guy and his cute little sister and you’re  _totally in love with him_  and you jumped at the chance to make something nice happen for him,  _I know_ , Mako –“

“I’m not in love with him, Nagisa!”

“But you’re blushing, Mako!”

“Makoto blushes at everything.”

“Exactly, thank you Haru.”

“But he’s also in love.”

“ _Haru_!”

* * *

 

“Rin, Rin, Rin!”

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me by my first name, little thing?” he asks, coming to stand behind the sofa and lightly ruffling Kou’s hair.

She scrunches her nose up and flails her hands, batting him away. “And  _I_  told  _you_  not to ruffle my hair, so we’re even! Anyway, look! They’ve added a new part to  _Nagisa’s Aquarium_!”

Rin tries to hide his disinterest, but it’s hard to make, “oh, really?” sound excitable.

“It’s about sharks.”

“They clearly have good taste.”

“Makoto’s presenting it this week.”

“…budge over.”

Rin stubbornly ignores the smirk on Kou’s face that makes her look much older than she is, like she knows so much more than a girl her age has any right to.

* * *

 

If Kou was any other child, Rin was sure that he would be concerned. He knew that it was normal for children to have favourite shows, (Kou certainly did), but it began to worry him how much time she spent sitting transfixed on the screen every time Makoto appeared. It had only gotten worse since they’d met him, he’d found, as now she was pretty much inconsolable every time they came home from going out without running into the darling presenter.

He’d find it hard to say that he wasn’t just as eager to see the guy as his little sister was. For someone he doesn’t know, it’s becoming an almost integral routine in his life to look out for the tall brunette. He doesn’t even limit it to reasonable places, like the public: he’s caught his head whipping around the break room at work more than once because he thought that he’d caught the tail end of a giggle, or the lilt of a voice that he only barely knew. It would be unreasonable of him to deny that he was infatuated – but Rin was the king of unreasonable. He was semi-convinced that seeing him again would be enough to stave off the weird feelings he’s been growing.

Maybe that’s why Rin isn’t nearly half as surprised or concerned as he should be when Kou tears off in the middle of the park, shouting “ _Mako! Mako! Mako_!” as she runs. He  _might_  even be a little elated.

When he finally catches up to her, Rin takes the time to thank whatever deity will listen that it actually  _is_ Makoto, but thinks of taking it back when he realises that Makoto is with someone else – a blonde man who apparently has a way with kids, and is also apparently extremely excitable.

“Kou! What a lovely surprise! Wait, you’re not on your own, are you? Does Rin know where you-“

“Right here, big guy.”

“What a relief!”

“ _Ma-ko-to_ , introduce me to your friends!”

“A-ah, of course, Nagisa. This is Kou,” Nagisa dutifully sticks his hand out for her to shake, and she giggles a little at how formal he is.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my fair lady.” He beams as she laughs at him.

“And this is Rin.”

Nagisa gets the devilish glint in his eyes that Makoto has seen many a time, and knows well as the sign that he’s planning something. Makoto has his hands poised when Nagisa begins speaking.

“ _Oh, you’re_ Rin! It’s great to meet you, Mako has told me so-“

Carefully, but firmly, Makoto places his hand over the other man’s mouth. He knew he was poised for a reason.

“Ah, haha, ah, well, we were just on our way to the studio, weren’t we, Nagisa?”

“Nn? Oh, yeah, of course! We can’t chat here but if we go the studio then you guys can talk all you want in between filming!” he crouches down to Kou’s height. “And, we might even be able to find a spot for a certain orca fan on the show!”

Kou’s eyes gleam as she jumps up and down in joy. She clings to Nagisa and talks a mile a minute as he leads the way back to the studio, leaving Rin and Makoto to trail behind, sharing grins with each other at the excitement that both of their wards are radiating in front of them.

But there’s something nagging at the back of his mind.

Makoto is a pure specimen of a man (from the little he knows about him), but even that doesn’t explain why he’s so open to doing things for the two of them. Thinking of anyone he’s ever met, Makoto is the only one he knows who would happily do anything that he’d done up to that point. Even if Kou was the centre of his world, it’s hard to understand how she’d managed to enamour someone else towards her so quickly.

He chooses to forget it, and just be thankful for the fact that they all seem to be getting on so well.

Rin watches on with a smirk that gradually settles into something a little softer, a little more forgiving as he watches on. Kou seems to be in her element, and the way that she interacts with Makoto makes his idle thoughts wander towards thinking about Makoto as a big brother – as  _Kou’s_  big brother – as if he’s a part of the family. Watching them wander off set to speak to the director, Makoto tickling and picking up the little girl, making her giggle and squeal, makes Rin think about Makoto tucking her into bed, returning to Rin’s living room only when she’s asleep, flopping beside him.

Maybe he thinks about a dopey, satisfied smile on Makoto’s face. About their hands interlocking on the top of the back of the sofa. Of the other man’s deft hands and deep voice, of ignoring the background noise of the television in favour of finding entertainment in each other. Thinking of Makoto’s smiling mouth hot on his neck as they sink further into the sofa –

– and he is in  _way too deep_.

* * *

 

“You did great out there, lil’ fish.” Rin grins as Kou bounds off of the set and straight into his legs.

“Of course I did! But wasn’t Mako great too? Mako’s the best, right?”

“He was good,” Rin acquiesces, smiling at said man as he also makes his way towards Rin, “but nowhere near as good as you.”

Makoto’s staged gasp and fake puppy dog expression make Rin laugh in that way that has his teeth on show, but for once he doesn’t find himself shrinking under the watchful eye of someone else. In fact, it’s almost as if his smile widens when he knows that Makoto’s watching him.

And even once they have to part ways – Makoto has work to finish, and Kou’s bed time is fast approaching – Rin’s still grinning.

Because this time, he got Makoto’s number.

* * *

 

Rin knows he can’t be selfish any more.

He’d spent his early teenage years as he’d wanted – away from his home, chasing a dream that was only half his to begin with, but that he held onto firmly with both hands until it was another part of him. He’d returned home different, but he wasn’t able to keep a hold of his newly developed moody, teenage persona for long.

Kou had only been two when his mother had told him that she couldn’t take care of them any longer. She was sick, and she wasn’t getting better, and Rin had to grow up quickly to take care of his little sister when he was barely legally able to do so. He had to hide the fear of being alone, the pain of losing his only remaining parent – revisiting the pain that had driven him to push himself to near self-destruction in the first place.

Where swimming used to be, Kou now was. She was his new dream, she was his new world, where his hopes lay. She was what he nurtured and cared for (and cried over) now.

She was why he couldn’t be selfish anymore.

But when it came to Makoto, it was hard for him to feel selfish. Kou is so infatuated with the guy, and they get on so well – once Rin had accepted he had a crush, and thought about it a little, things had started to make sense. And once things fell into place in his head, he knew he was stuck.

So it feels natural for him to begin chasing after the green eyed god of a man (though he would never phrase it that way).

* * *

 

Not long after they exchange numbers, Rin learns of Makoto’s poor diet, and his big-brotherly instincts kick in. Kou is overjoyed when Makoto starts showing up for dinner a few times a week, always an endless supply of energy up until the moment he leaves.

Then Makoto starts turning up at random times of the week, just to say ‘hi’, or to bring around some groceries in an attempt to make up for all the food he’s eating.

_(“Honestly, Makoto, it’s not really a problem…”_

_“But I bought them, and_ I _can’t cook with them, so…”_

_“Give ‘em here.”)_

And then one week, Rin is caught up with a late shift that he really couldn’t get out of, so he panics and begs Makoto to pick Kou up from swimming. He’s lucky it’s Makoto’s day off, but it also brings a heat to his face when Makoto sends him a selfie with his sister to prove that he’d picked her up.

But nothing really happens between them, unless you count petty domestic disagreements about the washing up, and the times Makoto stays on their couch because it’s too late to go home (he only falls asleep after they’ve stayed up chatting over an almost-muted TV, throwing popcorn into each other’s mouths and trying to stifle giggles so as not to wake up Kou).

Nothing was  _going_  to happen, either, he realises over breakfast one day, unless he made the first move. Rin was used to grabbing life by the horns and diving headfirst into what he wanted. He wasn’t going to mess this up.

“Why don’t you leave a blanket or something over next time you come over?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose, I mean, I’m freeloading enough as it is, and I’m sure your cupboards and stuff are full to the brim…”

“It wouldn’t be an issue, honestly. Has Kou really never shown you her blanket cupboard? They’re all a little too small for you,” he smirks, “but there’s definitely space for one more in there.”

“Well, uh, thanks! I’ll bring one along next time.”

“Cool. Now, for dinner tomorrow, I was thinking… anything but fish.”

Makoto’s laugh is rewarding. “I’m thinking you’re right.”

* * *

 

“Big brother!”

“Kou? Rin isn’t home yet.”

“I know, I was talking to you, silly!”

“O-oh, wow.”

* * *

 

When Kou stays at a friend’s house, Rin finally sees his chance.

So does Makoto.

(They have different priorities.)

“So, I was thinking of maybe trying to make dinner tonight? I think I’ve learnt enough to make something simple so… what do you want?”

“What do  _you_  want, Mako?”

“I was thinking pasta, probably.”

“What? No, sit down.”

“No pasta? I thought it was a good idea…”

“I meant, what do you  _want_.”

“To… cook dinner?”

Rin rests his head on his hands in despair. “I know I’m being obtuse, but I  _meant_ , you spend an awful lot of time with us – not that we mind! We love having you here, honestly – but you could have a partner, a nightlife, y’know? You’ve got the whole world at your fingertips, dude. Are you really happy spending it all with us? Truly?”

“Rin? Where is this coming from?”

“It’s – we’re friends, right? Friends look out for each other. But you’re not just my friend, y’know?” He doesn’t miss the way Makoto perks up slightly at that, mouth slightly parted. “You’re your own guy as well, you have to have wants and dreams and things as well.” And the way Makoto wilts, as if he were expecting something else.

“I… nightlife isn’t for me, really. I tried – you’ve met Nagisa, right? – but it’s not really my thing, I guess.”

“Okay,” Rin drawls, “but you can’t have that much time to meet someone when you’re hanging out with us all the time.”

“I don’t need to meet someone, though?”

“Because you sound really sure about that,” Rin replies dryly.

“I don’t, Rin. It’s more than enough to be able to spend time with you and Kou, it’s like – it’s like you guys are family, okay? I have so much fun with you two, and you guys give me so much joy, it’s…” he trails off with a sad smile.

“If you’re sure that’s what you want, I won’t push. But I know what it’s like to not have that freedom, dude. I’m not going to resent you for whatever you choose.”

“I choose you.”

Rin turns red to the tips of his ears almost instantaneously, spluttering about Makoto saying embarrassing things with so little care.

“Well, I think I can speak for both Kou and myself when I say we choose you right back,” he eventually manages, only sort of looking Makoto in the eye.

“Then I guess we’re even,” Makoto grins, in that easy, close-eyed way, and Rin’s  _so smitten._

“Almost.”

“Almost?”

Rin leans over the table and plants a kiss straight on Makoto’s mouth. While Makoto blushes his way into oblivion, Rin stands up, checking the cupboards for pasta. “Now we’re even.”

* * *

 

“This turned out a lot better than the last time I tried to cook.”

“They do say that food tastes better when you have handsome, intriguing, mysterious company,” Rin says, flicking his hair to the side and giving Makoto a smouldering look before breaking down into laughter.

“Hm, true. Any idea where I could find some?”

Rin kicks at Makoto’s shins under the table, but he only receives laughs and fingers threaded through his own on top of the table.

“Who knew this wholesome children’s show presenter could have such a smart mouth, eh? And such a soppy side, wow.”

“Shh, just eat your pasta. Or I could eat it for you…”

“I’m not 6, I can eat on my own – get back, you beast!” Rin laughs, fighting off Makoto’s fork with his own.

It’s all so easy, from the conversation over dinner to washing up next to each other. It’s just like the fantasy he slipped into every now and then, with Makoto flopping down beside him on his sofa, interlocking their fingers once again and sitting in quiet contentment.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, Rin, honestly.”

“God, I should’ve known you’d be a sap, it’s been like half an hour!”

“Doesn’t make it any less true,” he mumbles, nuzzling his head into the crook of Rin’s neck.

“Get comfortable, ‘cause we have a lot to discuss.”

“Mmh.”

“Not that comfortable! Oi, wake up!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> A HUGE thank you to TrickedThem who has been the most inspiring driving force ever to get me back to writing! (+ also gave this a read through and the best commentary ever, honestly) (a highlight: "and rin explodes from his pokemon ball.")
> 
> Some Things:  
> \- I refer to her as Kou because that's how she often says she wants to be referred to in the anime?? So I hope that's clear  
> \- The assumption is that this complies with canon so far as regards Rin's father dying and Rin going to Australia  
> \- This is based off an au type thing that I came up with on tumblr (cuddlebros.tumblr.com) and then... wrote. (I use the word wrote very loosely)  
> \- This is unbeta'd, so as ever, any issues, things that read weirdly, changes that should probably be made - please let me know!!  
> \- I know very little about being a big sibling apart from following around a two year old and going "choo choo!" to keep them entertained  
> \- There should probably be a better ending to this. Send your answers on the back of a postcard  
> \- There was something else I was supposed to put here, but I forgot.  
> \- This _may _read like a lesson in awkwardly placed metaphor. Apologies.__
> 
>  
> 
> _  
> _Do you want to know when I started this?? Nov 9th, apparently. Christ.__  
> 


End file.
